Thursday, December 20, 2012

DIY Chore Jars

I’m a very visual person and if there isn’t something right in front of my face screaming at me to do it, it wont get done. What better way to get the chores done than to make cute little decoupage jars to put them in?

Though a little on the time consuming side {mostly waiting for them to dry!}, they were very easy to make and require things you might even already have around the house.

Here’s what you’ll need:

-canning jars {as many as you need for each member of the family, plus one to hold all the chores} *Bonus – you can add a jar for the allowance to be collected per child for easy tracking

-fabric, paper, or tissue paper {thin cotton fabric is best if using fabric} – choose different colors/patterns for each family member

-ribbon {coordinating with the paper, fabric, or tissue paper}

-scissors

-hot glue gun

-mod podge

-paint brush

-rubber stamps {i used a mix of initials and letters for the jars and numbers for the chore sticks} and ink pad

-pen

-popsicle sticks {as many as you need for each chore}

-wooden square or a tag for initials/names on each jar {I got my wooden squares at Michaels for .29/ea.}

Brush a thin layer of mod podge on the inside of the jar about the width of your fabric or paper and place your fabric or paper over it, right side facing out

Take the brush with a little bit of mod podge on it and brush out the air bubbles so the fabric or paper lies flat against the jar

Continue the process all the way around the inside of the jar and with the rest of the jars

Only one coat on the jar and one coat over the paper or fabric is necessary. If you’re using a thicker fabric like denim or a linen, you might want to do an additional coat over the fabric after it has dried for about 20 minutes.

Cut ribbon long enough to wrap around the jar + an overlap of about 1/2″

Hot glue the end piece of the ribbon onto the jar in the desired spot, then hot glue the other end piece once wrapped around the jar

Stamp your initials/names/words onto each wooden square or tag then attach the appropriate one to each jar with hot glue

Set aside to dry {once dried – usually fully over night – you can screw the metal ring on to give the top of the jar a more finished look}

Write each chore on a popsicle stick. I did a chore or two in multiples since its a job we all have in the house pretty much daily, like laundry.

Stamp each chore you feel needs to be rewarded with payment. There were a few that we decided Bry should get a small dollar amount for, but most were ones that are expected of her and wont get paid for those.

Place all of the sticks in jar labeled ‘chores’ and designate ones to each family member at the appropriate time once the jars have dried fully

Place them in the house where they are visible so they will get used! The great thing about these is that they’re decorative as well as functional so it’s not an eyesore.

How we will use ours:

Each morning I will fill each family members jar {yes, even my own!} with the daily chores they need to complete. At the end of the day I will check to make sure each chore has been finished and if it has, it will go back into the community ‘chores’ jar. Whatever money that was earned will get placed in the ‘allowance’ jar and at the end of the week Bry will get her allowance.

Do you have a chore chart or another way to display chores in the house? Please share!

How cute.I found your blog thru a link u from 4youwithlove blog, where you and I were featured. I thought she had a really fantastic idea, so I am making it a point to visit those blogs she featured and pay it forward by following them. Merry Christmaste. I made chore charts when my kids were little.